Chùa An Lạc Belleisle · Nova Scotia Tiếng Việt

Practice, culture and a shared table

What life at the temple will hold once it opens.

People in grey robes chanting before a golden Buddha in a hall of red columns

A place to practise

Chanting and meditation in the main hall, and Dharma talks by monks and nuns.

Incense offered for the peace of the living and for those who have passed.

Quiet walks among the trees, and retreats in the stillness of the forest. A place to find calm in everyday life.

A hand placing incense before a golden Buddha with lotus flowers and fruit

Keeping the language and customs alive

Before Tết, grandparents teach the children to wrap bánh chưng and bánh tét.

At the temple, children can learn Vietnamese, the Buddha's teachings, songs and stories.

The temple keeps the generations close, and keeps the culture of home alive in a new land.

Grandparents and children wrapping bánh chưng in banana leaves at a long table

Sharing a meal

After a ceremony, everyone sits down together to a vegetarian meal. Elders, families, newcomers and neighbours meet around the table.

For a family that has just arrived, this is often where the first friendships begin.

Families and a monk sharing a vegetarian meal at long tables in the temple